


here we go again

by magicdraining (jadeu)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cheating, Drunk Sex, Exhibitionism, F/M, Genderbending, Heterosexual Sex, Luhan is the bestest friend, almost sebaek, baek gets scared of krees, exes kaibaek, exo as girls, girl!baekhyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:27:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10513761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadeu/pseuds/magicdraining
Summary: baekhyun just wants to find the one that got away. she didn't know he's been wrapped around her fingers all along.





	

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted at girlexochange's 2015 fic fest [here](http://girlexochange.livejournal.com/26366.html)

☆☆☆

"It's time you find another boyfriend, Baek. I don't want to go shopping with you next time and get my legs aching again." Then to herself, Luhan mutters, "Not the kind of ache I wanted."

Baekhyun giggles at her best friend. "Why would I need a boyfriend if I have you as my bestfriend?"

"Or why don't you get back with Jongin?"

Luhan can be pretty annoying sometimes.

"I thought we've already agreed his name was unspeakable!" Baekhyun looks at Luhan, betrayed at how her best friend can even suggest getting back with that guy.

"Geez, I was just testing the waters. So he's still off-limits, then." Luhan bows her head down. A wave of her brown hair cascades past her shoulders. "But honestly, have pity on me, Baek."

"You say those things but I know you'll come with me anyway when I say I'll buy you your favorite."

Luhan replies with a satisfied smile and Baekhyun's almost jealous with her beauty. "Look, Baek, I only bought a floral shirt, a floral skirt, and a pair of floral socks, and they're all in just one bag, while you bought-" she looks at the multi-labeled bags beside them, "-this lot of.." Luhan sighs. "Do you know how difficult it is to commute with all this baggage?"

"We'll just call Chanyeol, okay? He'll give us a ride, no worries." Their food arrives and Baekhyun sees Luhan's eyes gives off a sparkle at the sight of her favorite dish here.

Remembering what they were talking about, Luhan looks at Baekhyun after getting the fork by the side of her plate and started mixing her pasta. "Chanyeol? See, this is what I was talking about," she paused around a forkful of pasta, "you can't just keep on troubling Chanyeol like this. Give the guy a life."

"Hey, it was him who volunteered himself to be at my service!"

"Yeah, like a peasant to a queen? That's only because-" suddenly Luhan's eyes widen, as if she just realized something amusing, as if another plate of creamy pasta is being served to her, and Baekhyun can almost see the lightbulb by the side of her best friend's head. This cannot be good...

Her friend smiles, amused, and Baekhyun gets nervous about the words that will come out of Luhan's mouth.

"Why don't you date Chanyeol?"

Okay, Luhan _is_ pretty annoying most of the time.

"What?" Baekhyun is tempted to ignore Luhan who is spouting that nonsense they've talked about already so many times before. "First, you mention _that person_ and now Chanyeol? Seriously, Luhan. We've talked about this."

"Okay, first, sorry about that. But look, the guy's had a crush on you for years. He's beside you all the time, just waiting for something to happen. When we were in college, he confessed to you, right?" Luhan's expression is pretty bored the entire time she talked about it, a usual sight for Baekhyun. She's surprised though at how the other girl can shift moods so fast.

"Well, the truth is, he said he had a crush on me since high school, but he kept it a secret until that night we were playing spin the bottle in one of those college parties. I don't know why, though." She tells her friend as nonchalantly as she can.

Baekhyun still remembers Chanyeol's words when he confessed. Both of them might have been drunk, but she can't forget that moment when Chanyeol looked at her in the eyes and said those words. She liked his lips and found his ears cute, and she had always liked Chanyeol's voice, but of course it's all on a friendship level. She does admit, however, that the tall boy made her heart flutter that time. But that, is also on a friendship level. Or so Baekhyun convinces herself.

"Really?" Luhan puts her fork down and smirks at Baekhyun with what looks like a diabolical plan in her eyes. "Then just date him, Baek! You can't find a guy like Chanyeol anywhere. He's a rare gem, I tell you. I can't believe you're not putting a ring on his finger."

"Lu, he's supposed to be the one giving me the ring. And you know that's against my Golden Rule."

"What Golden Rule?"

Baekhyun clears her throat and starts reciting a line, as if she memorized it from the Bible, "Thou shall not commit any sexual relationship with thy friends." Baekhyun sips from her iced tea and asks Luhan, "Don't we have the same Golden Rule?"

"No, I changed mine a few seconds ago. You should change yours, too."

"Shut up, Lu. I'm not gonna break my Golden Rule nor am I replacing it with something stupid like yours, I bet."

 

Baekhyun claims shotgun when Chanyeol has parked to pick them up. Luhan doesn't bother to call dibs, not wanting to get in the way of the two of them.

"Chanyeol, why don't you ask Baekhyun out again?" Luhan blurts out from the backseat. "Remember that thingy from college when... were the both of you drunk that time? I think you two kissed. But I'm not really sure."

Chanyeol laughs at Luhan's question while Baekhyun flips her best friend the finger. He dyed his hair a shade of silver and purple, which looks so good on him, Baekhyun notes.

"She's not in the right mind now, Chanyeol. Forgive her, she doesn't know what she's saying," Baekhyun tells him.

"It's okay, Baek." Chanyeol briefly looks at her and flashes her a dimpled smile. Baekhyun gulps. To Luhan, Chanyeol says, "Yes, we kissed, and I think that was because Baek was drunk. I'll ask her again once she gets over her Golden Rule."

"Oh my god, you two even have the same reason for not dating each other," Luhan squeals before bursting into a fit of soft laughter at the back. "Some cockblock that Golden Rule is."

At this point, Baekhyun only thinks she's imagining the dull throbbing of a vein on her temple. In a cheery yet creepy tone, she exclaims an idea she deems brilliant, "Chanyeol, stop the car. Let's drop Luhan here and let her walk the rest of her way home."

"No need of walking because this really is my stop." Luhan takes her one and only paper bag from shopping during that whole afternoon and opens the door of Chanyeol's car. "Thanks, Yeol! And enjoy the rest of the ride, Baek!" She says as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. That bitch. She runs to her house like a kid afraid of Baekhyun's reprimand.

Baekhyun huffs on her seat and Chanyeol chuckles, clearly amused. "Baek, why was Luhan suddenly interested in our nonexistent love affair?"

It amazes Baekhyun how Chanyeol can easily say that and not expect things to be awkward because Baekhyun is starting to get uncomfortable already. But she doesn't let Chanyeol know that, because wouldn't that mean she has feelings for her closest male friend? Or whatever, Luhan's words are just messing with her head. "She said I should start dating again so I don't drag her shopping with me."

"Well, you could always ask me next time," Chanyeol says. "I mean, if Luhan isn't available... to go shopping with you."

Baekhyun scoffs. "If Luhan, who is a lady, _doesn't_ enjoy it, what makes you think you, who is a _man_ , will enjoy it?"

"Wow, isn't that just sexist. But just try me, Baek."

Baekhyun stops the multiple meanings that rush in her mind with Chanyeol's last statement. Her brain malfunctions for a bit. "Okay, Yeol."

And she kind of doesn't like that tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach, so she puts it aside as a normal thing to feel for her close friend.

☆

Friday night finds Baekhyun with Luhan inside Atmosphere, the newly-opened bar five blocks away from their university.

The way the speakers blast the loudest volume of music makes Baekhyun almost deaf. She likes listening to music but not as loud as this. Her eyes are almost blinded with the way the lights hit her eyes in different colors of heaven and she's always two seconds late in closing them.

"If you're not going to date any friend, just date some random person. And let's start looking here. Save me from hours of shopping."

"Are you giving me away to just any stranger, Lu?" Baekhyun gasps like the drama queen that she is.

"Oh, shut up." Luhan drags Baekhyun to a table of loud people and suddenly, Baekhyun's scared of what's about to come.

Then she realizes they're just her friends. She almost forgot her friends can be so loud inside a bar, as if they own the place. They're a few people from the club and classes they both attend, and while they're serious about studies all the time, inside a bar, they're like teenagers permitted by their parents to go out with their friends for the first time.

Yixing, sitting beside Zitao who was taking selcas with her new phone, drinks straight from the bottles of beer. She rants to nobody in particular about her sugar daddy who just broke up with her, saying that his black card will be put to waste because she can't take advantage of it anymore.

"Chanyeol said he'll just catch up later, he's in a drinking session with his friends from high school, not that we care or something," Zitao says without looking up at them while her fingers speedily press stuff on her touch screen.

Baekhyun begins to feel the want to go home. What is she doing here again? And why does she not know anything about this drinking session? Does that mean Chanyeol will be drunk when he comes here?

Luhan hands her a glass of something her friend says is _not too strong_ , so she drinks it and asks for more.

After the eighth glass, sitting on the table feels suffocating, and Baekhyun notices that Zitao's not in her seat taking selcas anymore and Yixing's figure is grinding against someone on the dance floor.

Then Baekhyun gets a sudden tingling feeling crawl on her spine.

Luhan clears her throat beside her, startling Baekhyun. "Hey, I think that guy has been staring at you for the past fifteen, or thirty, or I don't really know how many minutes it has been, but-"

Baekhyun gets a vertigo from snapping her head so fast after all that alcohol she downed and that's when she sees _him_.

Blond hair, sharp features, and a smoldering gaze that pierces through her soul under those thick eyebrows. Baekhyun unconsciously gulps down the forming lump on her throat, feeling hot all of a sudden. He is attractive, after all. Baekhyun downs more drinks than she can handle. If Luhan wants her to date somebody, then...

Chanyeol arrives, smelling like three bottles of soju, and plops down next to Baekhyun who's drunk enough to stride towards that guy who was staring at her and kiss him and ask him to bring her home.

"Hey, Baek, do you wanna-"

Baekhyun greets Chanyeol back with a pat on his shoulderㅡnot even a drunk slur of acknowledgementㅡas she unsteadily stands up to head three tables across theirs. She's halfway there when she blinks her dazed eyes and finds her destination empty, the attractive guy gone.

She takes a step back and collides into a broad chest, and there are suddenly huge hands settling on her waist. In her drunk state, she thinks, _fuck it_ , and turns around, closing her eyes before pulling the stranger into a kiss. It may have been that guy staring at her. Or not, butㅡ

_Such soft lips_ , Baekhyun thinks.

There's that tingling feeling that sprouted from the pit of her stomach, spreading to her limbs, and sending an indescribable thrill to the tips of her toes. She bravely bites the guy's bottom lip and when he gasps, she pushes her tongue inside. Maybe it's the alcohol maneuvering her motor nerves.

And Baekhyun wonders how a kiss can be this sweet despite all the tongues.

How a kiss can feel so right for the first time.

☆

The trip back to Baekhyun's house is a flurry of events she can't remember. It's empty, like usual, her parents on a business trip or somewhere else. Her surroundings start to mold with each other, the walls dancing and the ceiling swirling. After scrambling with her keys, her lips are on the guy's the moment she finally opens the door to her apartment.

Baekhyun thinks she has seen this guy somewhere before. His aura feels so, so familiar that something at the back of Baekhyun's mind, beneath the alcohol and hormones that are drowning her, there's that little voice that whispers for her to stop. She doesn't listen to it.

Hurriedly, she unbuttons the guy's shirt, then tinkers with the button of his jeans, all the while kissing his jaw and then the soft spot on his neck. Baekhyun takes his shirt off him and discards it to some forgotten spot on her living room. Her hands don't hesitate to explore the broad chest that's heaving under her touch.

He groans and it makes Baekhyun's nerves stand on their edges. Damn, this guy has a sexy voice- low and... The name of this guy is somehow on the tip of her tongue already, but she's too drunk and horny to dig for that name in her mind. And she realizes that she only has to ask for a name to scream later on if things progress to that point.

"I-I'm-" she pants between sloppy kisses, "B-baekhyu-" her voice changes a pitch higher when the guy kisses a stripe down her neck, "-nnnh."

The reply only comes in a form of a chuckle from the deep-voiced male. The sound resonates in her chest, tugging her heartstrings with the familiarity of it.

"Your name?" Baekhyun really wants to know his name.

Without giving her an answer, he strips Baekhyun out of her black dress and large hands settle on her waist. Skin to skin. A shiver runs down Baekhyun's spine. His rough hands glide down her thighs and without a warning, he guides her legs to wrap themselves around his waist.

Baekhyun clings onto his shoulders and she can feel his erection through the pieces of fabric separating them. The guy goes to her bedroom, his lips never leaving hers.

Baekhyun finds herself lying on her sheets, the soft glow of moonlight the only thing illuminating her room. The guy hovers over her between her spread legs and she reaches out a hand to caress his cheek, that smooth face that's only lit dimly.

Her vision blurs and duplicates the man on top of her before his figure merges into one again. For a moment, Baekhyun thinks the guy has leaned onto her touch, but it must have been the alcohol playing tricks with her mind again.

She can't ignore the loud thumping of her heart, though. She can only hope he doesn't hear it.

Slowly, he leans down and catches her lips in a gentle kiss. A kiss that sends tingles down her sides. He breaks away for a second, only to kiss her again with more force and passion. Baekhyun can't help but moan as his calloused hands create a trail on her back, reaching the hook of her strapless bra and undoing it in one swift motion.

Baekhyun whimpers as his lips leave hers and he plants a chaste kiss on her chin, then on the dip at the base of her neck, then on each breast, his hands sensually tickling her sides, then a butterfly kiss on her navel, then lower.

His rough hands play with the waistband of her underwear before yanking it off, exposing her completely. Baekhyun has left all her care in the bar before she decided to approach the guy.

Baekhyun arches her back when a finger enters her. After giving her time to adjust, there's a second one. And then a third. All settle knuckle-deep inside her. Until she thinks she's had enough. After fumbling in her bedside drawer, she fishes out a foil packet and hands it to him.

"P-please," she slurs at the guy.

He gets rid of his remaining clothes and rolls the condom on his length. She is surprised when the guy kissed her cheeks first, all gentle and unexpected, before pushing inside her. The head of his cock stretches her in the most pleasurable way she has ever felt in her entire life on the sheets. She automatically wraps her legs around his hips, digging her heels on his back to completely fill her. The guy squeezes her ass cheeks and Baekhyun moans louder. She likes that, a lot.

"Again?" He squeezes it again and Baekhyun swears she can come just by his rough hands squeezing the lights out of her.

She almost can't believe the guy is just _perfect_ inside her, his cock perfect around her walls that Baekhyun wanted to memorize the feeling. Not being able to help it anymore, she grinds her hips upwards, rubbing her sensitive nub on his body. Baekhyun and the guy release a prolonged moan at the same time, filling the silence of her apartment.

_It's perfect, he's perfect_ , Baekhyun can't help but think about these thoughts repeatedly as the guy almost withdraws and rams back into her, all gentleness gone. He thrusts his cock faster and harder than the last one, lewd sounds of skin against skin reaching her ears, almost drowning the uncontrollable beating of her heart. Their lips meet again for a sloppy kiss, and Baekhyun's nails dig crescents on his back. They chase their climaxes like this, Baekhyun meeting his every push with a raise of her hips.

When the knot in Baekhyun's stomach starts to loosen, she wraps her arms around his neck and sucks a mark on its soft spot, making him shiver. She comes right after his third hit to the sensitive bundle of nerves inside her, biting his shoulder, clenching around him. His thrusts become fasterㅡif that was even possibleㅡand then she feels a wonderful heat inside her. He pulls his flaccid cock out, and ties the condom before throwing it into the bin.

Baekhyun closes her eyes, hoping to remember everything in the morning.

Surprises of the night doesn't end yet, she figures, as the guy wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close to his body. The warmth his body radiates reaches her and stirs something inside, but she's not sure what. She nuzzles her nose on his chest, breathing in that familiar scent.

The guy must have said something- is it his name? But Baekhyun doesn't catch anything as she drifts off to sleep.

☆

The shuffling beside her wakes Baekhyun up early dawn, the upcoming splitting headache rendering her unable to open her eyes. Her sense of hearing is heightened, though.

The door creaks open and she panics a little inside her, because she can't remember what the guy's name is, if he even told her his name.

Without much choice, hearing the events unfold themselves, Baekhyun squints an eye open with much difficulty. Saying she is unwilling to let him go is an understatement. Baekhyun wants to keep this guy.

"Hey, can you stay a bit longer?" Baekhyun tries to speak with a hoarse voice and a thumping in her head. She can imagine Sam Smith singing to her by her bedside.

The silhouette of the guy looks back at her from the threshold, and Baekhyun swears she knows that guy from somewhere, the outline of his face and his dishevelled hair familiar all of a sudden. But he completely steps out of her bedroom and closes the door after him.

Along with him goes a piece of Baekhyun's heart.

It's kind of funny how at a time like this, Baekhyun remembers a fairytale. Now she knows how Prince Charming must have felt when Cinderella ran away from him.

But unlike Prince Charming who was left with a glass slipper, Baekhyun has nothing, not even a face to remember... nothing but the come-filled condom now in her trash bin.

She strangely feels like kicking the imaginary Sam Smith out of her house and just wallow with a Katy Perry song.

☆

The next thing to wake Baekhyun up is the smell of coffee and she immediately regrets opening her eyes when the sunlight bursting inside her room burns her pupils.

She wonders if she just had a bad dream, with the way her heart is heavy inside her chest. But the warm space beside her tells her that it was all real.

Right. She had the perfect cock inside her last night.

And she doesn't remember the guy. Blond hair under disco lights flashes in her mind for a short while, only to be replaced with the feeling of needles inside her head.

She doesn't even remember if he said his name last night.

Baekhyun abruptly stumbles out of the bed, falling face-first onto her bedroom floor. She's surprised she's wearing one of Chanyeol's big shirts that he left in her wardrobe. The door opens and Luhan looks down at her just when she was rubbing the sore spot on her forehead.

"Baekhyun, what happened?"

"I tripped."

And there's a gurgling sound from her stomach. Her eyes widened and she rushes to the bathroom to throw up what she drank last night, all eight glasses of it from a lightweight like her. All the alcohol leaves a bitter aftertaste in her mouth and her head aches more than ever, like someone is knocking from inside her brain.

"I've never seen you this wasted before, Baek." Luhan watches from the doorway as Baekhyun washes her face with warm water. "And you always get horny when you're drunk, if you haven't noticed."

"But last night was the best, Lu." A dreamy smile unconsciously crawls on her lips as she recalls the wonderful feeling of having sex with that guy.

"Do you remember him?"

"What?"

"Do you even remember the guy that got you laid?"

Baekhyun splashes more water on her face as another surge of headache pounds at her temples, hoping that water can just scare the hangover away. "I didn't get his name," Baekhyun sighs dejectedly.

Luhan gives her a weird look before bursting into a fit of laughter, clutching her stomach.

"What are you laughing at?" When Luhan keeps on laughing, she continues, "This is not a laughing matter, Lu. I want that guy back and I want him as soon as possible. If you're willing to help me, you'll be free from the hours of shopping that make your legs hurt, in a way you don't like."

They move out of the bathroom and Baekhyun sits down on the dining table where a hot mug of coffee is placed. She looks up at the wall clock that says it's already been two hours after noon. There's this music show on some American music channel or something. Baekhyun doesn't remember subscribing for that. Maybe Luhan did it.

The song on the TV becomes this wailing chorus of Katy Perry and Baekhyun's heart clenches. She almost wants to sing along and drown in her sorrows.

Luhan holds back a few snickers just looking at her friend before breathing deeply, face flushed from too much laughing. "It's pretty ridiculous how you can't remember the guy from last night."

"I don't even think I know him, you know? I mean, the only thing I can remember from the bar is that he's blond. But we didn't turn on the lights when we got here so I don't really remember what hair color he has."

Baekhyun lets the TV drone into an upbeat song, thankfully, and sips her coffee quietly. She goes on analyzing everything that may give her a clue to know who that guy can be.

"He's taller than me, that's for sure. I know I said I think I don't know him but some things about him were familiar, like his voice," Baekhyun's cheeks blush when she recalls the grunts with his deep voice, "and his scent. I think I know that smell from somewhere."

Luhan's gleeful expression changes into a scowl upon hearing the bullshit her best friend is spewing. "Blond?"

"That's the only thing you got from what I said?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Stop saying that everything is ridiculous, Lu."

"But everything you're saying is."

"Look," Baekhyun gives up, "can you just help me in finding him?"

"Sure, but what's your plan?"

Baekhyun hummed before answering. "Well, about that... I haven't thought about anything, really. That's why I asked for your help." Baekhyun pouts at her best friend. "But if we refer to the classic Cinderella story... Well, my guy didn't leave anything but I'm kinda like Prince Charming here, right?"

"Not really," Luhan shrugs.

"Shut up, Lu, and let me have my moment. I'm trying to plan a happy ending here."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"So how did Prince Charming find Cinderella?"

Luhan doesn't like where this is going.

"Trial and error."

"Please don't tell me you'll be sleeping with a lot of guys and you'll only stop when you find him. Because that is the worst idea in the history of your ideas, and that's saying something."

When Baekhyun can't think of any other elaborate plan, she just huffs. "Okay, all I know is that I have to find that guy with the perfect cock. He'll be around Atmosphere almost every night, don't you think? I just have to find some blond guy or something, right? If I feel the sparks when we kiss, I will know for sure."

For the first time that morning, Luhan frowns.

☆

It takes a week later for Baekhyun to come back to Atmosphere and actually look for the blond guy, or as what she has codenamed him with Luhan, _Cinderella_. That sounds weird, so she just goes back, mentally, to codenaming him _Blond guy with the perfect cock_. That isn't much and it's pretty general, but she'll get by with no codenames, anyway.

It's a Saturday night, and the bar is filled with people to its entrance. When Baekhyun enters, already a number of people are chain smoking and are making out against the walls. She decides not to touch any walls, because maybe kissing isn't the only thing happening there.

She sits on the counter, getting just a light cocktail so she won't be drunk again when she meets Blond Guy. If she gets the chance of meeting him again, she wants to be sober enough to remember him the morning after. If ever.

Luhan is supposed to be sitting beside her right now, but an unexpected turn of events happened, like maybe Luhan getting laid (finally) or Luhan cramming overdue homework or special assignments by their professor, so Baekhyun ends up alone in the bar, looking like some asshole just broke up with her.

A considerable amount of time passes by and Baekhyun can't catch sight of any blond guy in the bar. For a second, she's afraid the guy dyed his hair into a different color.

Actually, how sure is Baekhyun that the guy _does_ have blond hair? She can't remember anything from the time she pulled the guy into a kiss. She had her eyes closed, right?

Baekhyun pales in the realization.

What if she picked up a hobo from the side of the road where he was just conveniently heating himself up by burning 1970's albums and she just grabbed him into a cab because she was drunk and horny?

Then, suddenly interrupting her thoughts, a tall gentleman with blond hair and pale skin enters the bar. He seems pretty famous here, judging by the way people get out of his way and wave at him in a desperate effort to be noticed.

Baekhyun's attention is definitely captured. Is he _the one_?

She can't remember, though, if _Cinderella_ (she admits the codename has some amusing ring to it) had a poker face like that guy over there. If he was as tall and lean as that guy...

...who is now striding purposefully towards her.

_Does he perhaps remember me?_ Baekhyun's flustered thoughts cannot stop going into overdrive. And she still has financial statements to solve at home.

Not sure what to do and panicking inwardly, Baekhyun turns back to someone behind the counter- the bartender, anyone- only to find the bartender shaking drinks in front of a lady seven seats away from her. That's when she realizes that there is nobody sitting in her close proximity.

Someone sits directly on her right, no seat apart, very close with each other, looking isolated from the rest of the people in the bar. She doesn't dare turn her head to check who it is.

"Shall I buy you a drink?" The newcomer asks, and Baekhyun notes that his voice is deep but not as deep as _the_ blond guy's.

"No, thanks," Baekhyun smiles shyly, and goes to staring at her empty glass.

"But you look like you want some." Baekhyun doesn't miss the suggestive tone in his voice.

"Are you familiar with the story of Cinderella?" Baekhyun asks in pure curiosity, now facing the guy fully. He only furrows his eyebrows at her. "Like, you know, leaving someone hanging before you gave your name to the other person? Does that ring a bell?"

"Oh," the guy smirks, finally catching what Baekhyun is trying to say. "If you're worried about not getting my name, it's Sehun, and I'm the owner of this bar."

Baekhyun blinks so many times in a minute she thinks Guinness should have recorded it. She's just a university student and she's actually talking to a bar owner? "Oh."

Sehun lands his hand on her wrist, and if Baekhyun hasn't drunk anything, she might have flinched away. The longer his presence is with her, the more unsettled she feels.

"So what do you say about that drink?"

"O-okay?" Baekhyun asks because she really isn't sure about everything that's happening now.

She hears Sehun chuckle and the fingers around her wrist wrap themselves around it in a firm grip. She's suddenly dragged to the dance floor, struggling amongst a throng of sweaty bodies grinding against each other. Sehun's broad chest against her side is making her heart jump a tiny bit.

Right in the middle of the dance floor, she looks up at him, confused where they're going. "Uhm, do you mind if I ask-"

She stops talking the moment Sehun leans closer to her, enough that his lips brush against her temple. A tinge of pink colors Baekhyun's cheeks, and she's grateful for the flashing lights to cover it.

"What was it, again?" Sehun's hand is still on her wrist.

"-where we're going?"

"Privacy. Somewhere private."

Baekhyun's heartbeat accelerates at his low voice. If _Cinderella_ makes a no-show, at least she has _Mr. Owner of this Bar_ to keep her busy.

They reach the back, and the darkest, part of the bar where the cushioned sofas are located. Surprisingly, no one is there. But she supposes that since she's with Sehun, it shouldn't come as a surprise to her. Everything can happen under his palm.

Sehun sits down and some mix of light hits him for about half a minute before Baekhyun realizes that, _damn_ , she has hit the jackpot this time. This guy's blond hair is slicked back, his quiff enough to make panties drop. His sharp features and a black jacket paired with tight jeans say he deflowers girls as a hobby.

That's why when Sehun pulls her in, Baekhyun doesn't hesitate to sit on his lap. _Cinderella_ definitely isn't irreplaceable.

Baekhyun is tickled with Sehun's hand running down her back. Placing her hands on his shoulders, a pull of gravity makes her lean down to meet his lips with hers.

Maybe the pull of gravity is too scientific for it; maybe it's the _Sehun effect_ that's making Baekhyun do _things_ even she can't comprehend.

Whatever it is, she doesn't care. Because Sehun starts to lie down on his back as they continue to make out. The softness of the couch gets Baekhyun to straddle his hips. Her hands fly to cup his cheeks, so smooth under her touch.

She's not gonna lie, Baekhyun likes to grind down on his growing erection. Not once have they parted from their lip-lock and not once has Sehun's hands stopped stroking her sides.

Baekhyun wants to feel more, so she runs her fingers down his clothed chest. When he groans, she's pretty confident enough to fiddle with the button of his tight jeans and when it pops open-

"Finally found you, Baek!"

Like the same poles of the magnet, Baekhyun and Sehun jump back instantly upon hearing the voice.

"Baek, I've been looking for you everywhere now." Chanyeol's hand finds her arm and she's pulled to stand from the couch. Baekhyun sees Sehun shaking his head and laughing to himself a little.

"Why didn't you tell me you already have a boyfriend?" Sehun isn't mad, he even looks amused at the situation.

"He's not myㅡ"

"I'm not herㅡ"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol say simultaneously.

"Save it, lovebirds." Then Sehun left them.

"What the fuck, Yeol?" Baekhyun doesn't get why Chanyeol has to interrupt. She doesn't know if she's relieved or annoyed at the disruption. After all, Park Chanyeol won't get her a good lay.

Or rather, she refuses to get a good lay with Chanyeol.

"I just..." Chanyeol has the nerve to look sheepish but not a bit remorseful for his actions. "Luhan told me you were alone here so I came to check... and then you were making out with that guy... so I..."

"So you interrupted us. Nice manners, really. I want to say thanks to whoever taught you that."

"Look, just tell me how to make it up to you."

"Nevermind that," Baekhyun pouts.

And a pouting Baekhyun is too irresistible that Chanyeol can't help but pull her into a hug, right there in front of that stupid couch and under the colorful lights and all.

Chanyeol's hugs are warm and he smells wonderful that Baekhyun almost forgets the preceding events. Maybe Chanyeol has that power to make people forget? He's better than alcohol, if that was it. But Baekhyun doesn't deny that she has always liked Chanyeol's hugs the best.

So even if she has let go of Sehun, she thinks she can settle down with a hug from Chanyeol for tonight.

☆

"Why were you in the bar, anyway?" Chanyeol throws the question once he's taking her back to her apartment already.

"It's a long story, Yeol."

"And so is this drive if you don't tell me details. I'm not dropping you off until you spill."

"Geez, look who's thirsty for gossip." Baekhyun laughs at Chanyeol's tone. He sounds like a clingy girlfriend not wanting to miss any details of her best friend's sex life. Maybe Chanyeol needs to find more _guys_ to hang out with, to get back the manliness he's losing...

"C'mon, Baek, why does Luhan know but I don't?" Chanyeol pouts in front of the steering wheel.

"Okay, okay, get that pout off your face, you look disgusting," she lies. "I was looking for my Cinderella."

"Cinderella? Are you swinging for the other team already?" Chanyeol briefly looks at her with furrowed brows then back to the road.

"Of course not, stupid. My Cinderella happens to be one of your kind."

"Baek, I don't think you can find your... uhm... _Cinderella_ at a bar."

"Well, it was where I met him. So I was just hoping..."

"So you've met him already?"

"Not only that, but we did stuff, too." Baekhyun can't help but release a dreamy sigh to herself. Chanyeol is surprised by this. "Remember that night last week when the bar just opened? I think I also found _the one_ that night."

"So, you were looking for that guy you slept with a week ago?"

After Baekhyun's affirmative hum, silence stretched over them until they arrived.

☆

The weeks in the new semester pass with Baekhyun having research papers left and right. It's going to be her last year in this school already. The search for the perfect cock is almost forgotten, that being her least priority right now.

It all resumes on the night of the Halloween party in one of their blockmate's houses.

Baekhyun has come in a vampire attire because she's always wanted to be one, always thinking that she can pull it off better than any Cullen or Salvatore can. But of course, that's just Baekhyun.

Every other girl is in bunny attires (which Baekhyun honestly thinks was unacceptable anywhere since the Mean Girls movie premiered), or not in any costume at all, just a quick fix of the skimpiest dress in their closets. It's ridiculous how they dress like this in parties. This is a Halloween party, for god's sake, but no one's scaring shit out of the people in this house.

But there's Zitao in a bloody vampire costume (or so that is what Baekhyun thinks of it) taking selfies with almost everyone again, and when she sees Baekhyun coming in beside Luhan, she tells them, "Chanyeol says he'll be late a bit. He'll catch up later."

This scene has been played before, Baekhyun thinks, Zitao's line has already been heard from before.

Why is Chanyeol late this time? Baekhyun inwardly groans when she's left in the crowded kitchen. Luhan's already talking with other people, maybe coaxing herself into their pants or something.

To occupy herself, Baekhyun drinks cheap beer from a red cup. Then there's another equally terrible drink on the tray by the living room. She begins to see some people in double. She plops down on the sofa, face buried in the horrible smell of its leather.

"Baek, are you drunk already?" There's a voice that gets into Baekhyun's head but she barely recognizes it.

A string of incoherent mumbles leaves her as the guy helps her into a steady position.

"Why do you even drink when you're such a lightweight?" It seems like the guy knew Luhan because Baekhyun can faintly hear him say something like taking her home already.

When they're out of the house and the cool night breeze kinda clears Baekhyun's thoughts, but not enough to clear the inebriation away, she looks up to the guy carrying her bridal style. She doesn't recognize the face beneath all the white makeup and dark eyes and smudged red lipstick stretched on his mouth to his cheeks, but his scent is comforting so she snuggles closer into his chest.

She sleeps on the ride back to her house. A tap on the cheek wakes her up. They're already on her driveway.

"Hey, Baek, let's get you inside. Are you sober now?"

A headache blooms in her head and she swears she can't help what she does next, she just collapses on the guy's lap. Headfirst into his crotch.

No one should leave Baekhyun alone to drink her heart's content.

"Hey, Baek..."

Baekhyun giggles. She's fucking _giggling_ while nuzzling his crotch.

"Hey, hey, stop, stop it," the guy grabs Baekhyun's shoulders and positions her to sit properly. Baekhyun continues to let out small bouts of laughter with her head tilting to the side, only this time, she's also fiddling with the button of the guy's ripped jeans.

When it pops open, she drags the zipper down. Her fingers trace the outline of his hardening length, and honestly, there's no way of stopping her.

"Let me thank you for bringing me home." The way Baekhyun stares at him makes him think that she's actually sober this time.

"Uhm, no need?" The guy stutters, because however wrong this feels, he can't deny he also wants whatever Baekhyun is offering.

Baekhyun is definitely not sober. With a last giggle, she goes down on him.

"Ahㅡfuck!" The first kitten lick is experimental, as if trying to get used to the taste. But the second blow comes without warning, as Baekhyun takes the whole of him, his cock's blunt end hitting her throat. A vibration brought by her moan of approval around him sends pleasure shooting up his nerves and it's so, so _goddamn_ good that he allows himself to find purchase in her hair.

The tip of her tongue presses down on his slit and it takes all of him not to release a groan, just punches down the horn and probably waking up everyone in the neighborhood. Baekhyun's licking the the throbbing vein by the underside of his length and her fingers wrap around the base of his cock and she's taking him whole again, lapping at the glistening white beads coming from the tip and her tongue isㅡ

There's a tap on his window.

The police patrolling the area stops by his car and _fucking_ taps on his window. Just at the right moment.

He rolls the window down a bit, one hand on Baekhyun's nape to prevent her from sitting up abruptly but gentle enough so she'll not choke on his dick while he talks with the officers.

"Good evening there," the officer beside him says.

He doesn't trust his voice to speak (not when Baekhyun's licking the head of his cock like it's a fucking lollipop) so he nods his greetings.

"Are you okay there, sir?" This officer should just go on patrolling to some other area where a robbery may be happening at this moment instead of disrupting them. But instead, the officer tries to take a peek of what's inside his car.

He looks at the officer, his left eye twitching a bit, and nods before letting out quite a breathy, "Y-yeah."

He hurriedly rolls the window up because Baekhyun seems to be turned on by the fact that a police officer almost caught them. The patrol car has moved on, thank god. Her fingers stroke what her mouth can't reach, playing with his balls at the same time.

Baekhyun thinks that this cock is the perfect fit inside her mouth, that this cock belongs to that guy she's been looking for. Because everything feels so, so _right_ again. Unlike that time she was with Sehun. This time it's really, really good.

There's the tightening feeling in the guy's gut and then he's coming inside her mouth. Baekhyun doesn't pull away and tries very hard to swallow all of it.

A couple of seconds after his completion, though, Baekhyun opens her door and throws up on the curb.

When she's done, she looks back at him with the stars reflected in her eyes. And really, it's not as much romantic as the guy have wanted, with all the spit on her lips, maybe a hint of come on her chin, and the stink of vomit starting to diffuse inside his car. But she says it anyway.

"You're the one I've been looking for."

☆

Baekhyun wakes up on her bed, with no memory of last night, and dressed with another one of Chanyeol's shirt he has left behind during sleepovers.

Luhan comes in uninvited, sitting on Baekhyun's butt and bouncing on it. Baekhyun's biggest regret is giving her best friend the spare key to her house.

"Go home, Lu." She grumbles and weakly tries to wrestle Luhan off her bed.

"But didn't you have fun last night, Baekkie?" Luhan coos, her fingers playing with Baekhyun's chin like she's some puppy she wants to play with.

"Ugh, I honestly can't remember anything from last night. My throat tastes like a rat just died there." Not really wanting to, Baekhyun stands up and heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Honestly, it stinks worse than alcohol.

And then there are flashes of last night, a car, a zipper being pulled down, a police officer passing by them, and, _fuck_.

"Luhan!" Baekhyun comes out from the bathroom and looks at her best friend with panic written all over her face. "I think I swallowed. Or else there wouldn't be a taste of dead rat in my mouth."

But contrary to the hurricane of emotions Baekhyun was feeling, Luhan starts laughing.

"Lu! This is not a laughing matter!"

The scene is all too familiar, really.

"I know, I know, it's just- you probably gave him the best blowjob he had ever received."

They go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The radio is playing some mellow song halfway into its last chorus that goes with Baekhyun's mood. Why does Luhan always tune into some music program when she's in Baekhyun's house, anyway?

"Lu, I really need to find him. That was the perfect cock. The Cinderella I have been searching for."

When the song ends, there's Katy Perry singing _that_ song again.

"Are you kidding me?" Baekhyun exclaims angrily to the radio, but sings along to the chorus anyway, pouring her heart out with every note. _In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away..._

Luhan is accustomed to Baekhyun's weird quirks by now. She thinks this, too, is normal. "Are you singing that guy for your one night stand?"

"Yes, and it's actually our second night stand already, for your information."

"Fine, fine, but it's not like that guy died or something."

"You're missing the point, Lu." Baekhyun rolls her eyes.

"Just messing with ya," Luhan laughs at her frustrated best friend. "Baek, what was your Golden Rule again?"

"Not to sleep with my friends?"

"Is it really, Baek? Is it?"

Luhan says it so eerily with narrowed eyes, so serious and all, that all Baekhyun can do is nod at her in reply.

Luhan just shakes her head with a half amused, half frustrated smile on her lips. "You need to open your eyes, Baek."

Then her best friend is out of her house, like some hipster philosopher who disappears as quickly as she appeared, leaving Baekhyun to wonder what the fuck she was saying.

☆

It seems too fast, how the first semester has ended just like that. Their group of friends is back at Atmosphere. The last time they've been here seems like ages ago for Baekhyun. She hopes she can finally spot her Cinderella this time so they'll get into a relationship and get married and have a happy life without an ending, just lots of happiness.

"Baek, what are you thinking about?" Yixing asks from across the table, shot glass in hand and a lemon in front of her.

"She's thinking about that guy who fucked her without leaving a name," Luhan answers for her, at which Baekhyun thanked her sarcastically.

"Oh! Does that mean she's thinking about Pㅡmmm!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Zitao's palm is covering Yixing's mouth.

"Let's drink for Baekhyun's quest to find Cinderella and for our last semester in college!" Luhan shoves a drink into Baekhyun's lips.

Zitao drinks two shots consecutively and then she's dragging Yixing along with her to the dance floor.

"Luhan. Is there something you guys aren't telling me?"

"Absolutely... nothing!" But Baekhyun's getting more suspicious because Luhan's laughing nervously. "Let's dance!"

Baekhyun drinks one last shot and feels the burn of alcohol slide down her throat before following Luhan. But once she's in the crowd, she's lost. There's no one she recognizes. She silently prays Chanyeol arrives at the right moment to get her back to their table.

Then something catches her eyes. Under the kaleidoscope of lights, there is a blond hair. His back is facing Baekhyun but he's tall enough for the one she's looking for. _Can it be?_

She slowly sways her way into the direction of that guy, planning to bump her back on his and making it look completely accidental.

Once she's close enough, she bumps her butt onto his side, because no one can resist her butt, even Luhan is jealous of her butt.

She turns around, the scripted apology ready to leave her lips when the blond guy turns to look at her too, and Baekhyun's never been surprised in her entire life.

Also, Baekhyun's never wanted to leave a scene so bad in her entire life.

The apology doesn't even get past her lips because she decides to just walk away, hoping the bar is dark enough for the guy not to recognize him.

But of course the odds are not on her side. His hand grabs hold of her wrist and pulls her against him.

"Baekhyun." The initial surprise she has seen on his face faded, replaced with what seems to be relief.

"Let me go."

"No, not this time."

"Jongin, let go." But it's next to impossible now, Jongin hugging her so tight she can barely breathe, as if the hug can make up for all the pain he has given her. As if the hug is already an apology.

And Baekhyun hates herself for succumbing into his hold.

 

Both of them are back on Baekhyun's friends' table, civil as ever, as if a breakup didn't happen a year ago. Baekhyun still can't shake the fact that Jongin dyed his hair blond.

"So how are you?" Jongin breaks the silence between them first.

"Good." Baekhyun downs a shot but she's barely drunk at this point. She doesn't think she'll get drunk tonight, actually. "So, blond..."

"Yeah, does it look okay?"

Baekhyun snorts because anything looks good when it comes to Jongin, so how can he even ask that? Doesn't he know that Baekhyun has memorized the planes of his torso and the contours of his face just because she can't keep her eyes (and hands, too) off of him when they were still together?

"So it doesn't?" Jongin's sheepish and disappointed smile makes Baekhyun's heart ache.

"Shut up, Jongin. You look amazing." Baekhyun can't help but roll her eyes when his response is a grin that lights up his eyes. Strangely, it lights up Baekhyun's night, too.

"It's amazing, huh?"

"Blond is nice for you."

And they're smiling stupidly at each other like the first time they knew they have fallen in love with each other, their eyes doing all the talking. At that moment, the music turns into a slow jam. Right on cue.

The glint in Jongin's eyes is familiar, it's what Baekhyun has always seen when an argument ensues and Jongin is sure he will win.

"Nope, not this time, Jongin."

But he's laughing at her from across the table and he's standing up and grabbing her hand gently and suddenly, Baekhyun finds herself on the dance floor, embraced by Jongin's arms, Jongin's warmth, Jongin jongin jongin. She still can't say no to him. She always lets him win. Even after all this time.

"Baek, I'm sorry."

That is all it takes for Baekhyun to bury her head into Jongin's chest.

"I'm sorry for what I did, and I don't expect you to accept me again... but I'm really, really sorry." She can feel his lips on the top of her head. "Please forgive me."

If Baekhyun can't forgive him, does that make her the villain in here? She can almost hear Luhan's voice telling her to get back with Jongin again. So this time, she'll allow his name to be mentioned in her conversations with Luhan now.

"Jerk. How long have you been blond anyway?" She doesn't like to be dramatic, not here.

"A couple of weeks after we broke up, I guess."

If Jongin feels Baekhyun's heart increasing its beat, he doesn't say anything. Jongin can be the one she has been searching for. Maybe that is why some things has been so familiar... Can he be the one on that fateful night here in Atmosphere? The one at the Halloween Party? But how?

But everything else seems not to matter when Jongin tilts Baekhyun's chin upwards to meet his kiss, so soft and so sweet. The tingling feeling she feels on the tips of her toes doesn't quite match the one before, but it's still there.

"Take me home?" Baekhyun asks.

☆

Baekhyun doesn't bother to tell her friends anything, not even sure if Chanyeol arrived or not, she just leaves with Jongin.

The drive back to Baekhyun's house is bathed in a comfortable silence. Just the exchange of breaths heard, because Jongin's radio broke down a few weeks ago, he says.

When they reach her house, Jongin gets out and opens the door of his car for her, like a gentleman, then walks her to the main door. Baekhyun says he can come in, and Jongin refuses because he doesn't want to intrude, but Baekhyun laughs it off and insists, saying she's alone at home anyway.

They are in Baekhyun's kitchen, sipping a cup of hot coffee to drive the drunkenness away. She's perched on her counter with that violet dress while he's leaning his weight on the sink across her. It almost feels like they've never separated.

Jongin says he missed her. A lot.

And Baekhyun replies that she missed him too.

Jongin is in front of her in seconds and Baekhyun has put down her cup of coffee in favor of touching his cheeks.

It's not a surprise, really, that they're kissing right now, and that Baekhyun is spreading her legs to let Jongin settle between them, and that Jongin is dragging his hands from her hips to the sides of her breasts. And this is exactly how they've done it before.

Baekhyun jumps off from the counter, skin brushing on Jongin's clothed erection and she's fucking blushing like a school girl when she's leading him to her bedroom.

Jongin doesn't do anything else when they get to her bed, though, so Baekhyun turns around and asks him to unzip her dress and when he does, when cold fingers run down Baekhyun's back, it takes all of her not to moan. Clad only with her underwear, she pushes Jongin down to lie on his back before sitting on his thighs, her knees on the sides of his hips. By now, Jongin's shirtless and she doesn't recall how the shirt is thrown at the foot of her bed. She works on Jongin's jeans and pulls them down together with his boxers. And Jongin's fingers dance on Baekhyun's back before he unhooks her bra like an expert whose done it with her a thousand times already. The panties come off next in the same manner.

Baekhyun on top of her like this, is one of Jongin's unforgettable moments, it's ranked even before that time he won a game of poker with his cousins and earned 50,000won, and all he can chant is the word _beautiful_ as Baekhyun grabs his fingers to stretch her open. And he obeys. The way his fingers disappear into her turns him on even more. He almost forgets how the real thing feels like when he was stuck with PornHub and his fingers to get himself off, only imagining it was Baekhyun pleasuring him.

Baekhyun says she's ready, and she swats Jongin's hand away, and reaches into her drawers with a condom to roll on Jongin's cock.

They're staring at each other's eyesㅡlike this is a first time and it's so fucking vanillaㅡwhen Baekhyun buries him inside of her, inch by glorious inch. Her hands are splayed on his stomach for balance or something and when he's all the way in, she moves her hips and it drives them both to insanity because the circular motion is almost too much to handle. Baekhyun's hair is matted on the side of her face with sweat and her lips keep calling his name.

She's bouncing on his dick and it's so obscene how the room is filled with these slurping wet sounds that mix with their heavy breathing, and the feel of her ass when she lands on him is precious to Jongin, like an eat-all-you-can chicken buffet at his favorite restaurant. There has been a couple of times when Baekhyun and him went there for dates.

But the most amazing thing happens when Baekhyun leans back on her palms between Jongin's knees and her body is on full display for Jongin to ogle at. It's tighter with this angle, his dick reaching new depths of heaven on earth, and Jongin _can't_ not thrust upwards to that perfection. Baekhyun is limp above him, cries of pleasure uncontrollably escaping her mouth every time Jongin hits that particular spot inside her, making her arch her body and Jongin's adoration level of her hits its maximum.

Then Baekhyun clenches around him and she comes and Jongin's riding her orgasm and he can feel his own burst any second now and Baekhyun's making a really sexy face on top of him and Jongin comes hard into the condom.

Baekhyun slumps forward and their lips meet once again in a lazy kiss. The slow ones like this are Baekhyun's favorites.

They cuddle for a few minutes, just breathing each other. When Jongin finally pulls out with a semi, she whines at the loss and grabs his cock again, attempting to put it back inside her. It's crazy. Good thing he stops her, and stands up to throw away the condom and wipe them clean.

They sleep side by side, skin against skin, under the sheets. Baekhyun absently thinks about whoever that guy was from months ago and how Jongin is only second best.

☆

The scene isn't pretty when Luhan found out about them getting back together. Jongin has appeared with only his sweatpants hanging low on his hips and to say that Luhan was hysterical the moment he saw the guy inside Baekhyun's house is an understatement. She was yelling all over the place, asking for explanations she doesn't want to hear, and walking out of Baekhyun's house that morning probably meant walking out of her best friend's life, too.

When Chanyeol found out about it, everything is just downright ugly. He arrives at her house with DVDs in his hand and when he sees Jongin on the couch, there is only a question.

"Baek, what is that guy doing on your couch?"

"Oh, Jongin and I are back together."

"What happened to the Cinderella you were searching for?" Chanyeol asks.

"Cinderella, who?" Jongin asks.

"Nothing, it's a long story," she answers Jongin and then to Chanyeol, "He'll come around sooner or later and that would be it."

It feels weird for Baekhyun to hear Jongin's laugh the entire duration of the movie. It barely registers on her that the actors are actually saying funny dialogues because she's straining her ears to listen at Chanyeol breathing. _Chanyeol is being unusually quiet_. They finish the first movie when Chanyeol gets up and says he's leaving with the excuse of not feeling well, that he'll just leave the movies and come back some other time.

Chanyeol doesn't even look at her in the eyes when he bids his goodbye. And it doesn't sit quite well in Baekhyun's gut.

It's downright ugly how something inside Baekhyun is probably eating her heart, or else why would it aching like this?

☆

It has been months since Baekhyun last talked with Chanyeol. And by that, Baekhyun means it has been a whole semester since they talkedㅡa whole semester of her going out with Jongin on dates, albeit a little bit detached from every touch, every kiss.

Baekhyun meets Chanyeol again at the day of their graduation, when the ceremony is over and he is on his way to her through the crowd. Jongin chooses that moment to bend her backwards and kiss her down. The kiss is sweet, a taste of accomplishment and the feel of their diplomas' crisp paper. Baekhyun can barely distinguish Jongin from all those. When she stands up straight, Chanyeol is out of sight. Again.

☆

Weeks later, Baekhyun finds herself nestled in Jongin's arms as they watch some random movie on TV. There's a beep from Jongin's phone, its screen lighting up.

Just when the screen went off on standby, it lights up again.

"Jongin, I think you have messages."

Her boyfriend is asleep behind her, not a surprise at all. Maybe it's something important for the sender to flood his inbox during this timeㅡpast eleven in the evening. So Baekhyun picks it up and holds it in front of her face.

Baekhyun swipes the screen open and she's greeted with a thread that's been going on for so long that the bar at the side doesn't even reach a centimeter long. Her heart drops.

KS: the next time we meet, ill sing while u dance. ok!?

KS: it ///felt/// nice the last time we did it yknow???

The messages are friendly, but Baekhyun can't help feeling something is not right...

"Baek? Is the movie done?"

Jongin's sleepy voice is so close to her ear that she panicked and dropped his phone. Baekhyun doesn't care about that at all, or the fact that a new movie is starting already.

"Who's KS?"

"Were you on my phone?" In a split-second, he asks her back. It comes out so easilyㅡsmooth like an expert's inquiry, like a routine he has practiced a thousand times.

Baekhyun is surprised at his response. She picks up his phone and gets off the couch. "Well, it's hard not to look at it when it kept on lighting up. I thought there was emergency."

Then the phone on her hand lights up again.

"Oh, here's another one, ' _I can't stop thinking..._ '" Baekhyun looks at Jongin, so betrayed, so hurt, "' _...of you._ ' Jongin, what does she mean by this? What does she mean to you?"

Jongin shuts his eyes tightly and runs a hand through his hair as he sits up. "Baekㅡ"

"Do you like this person?"

"No..."

But there's something left hanging, so Baekhyun stays silent to let Jongin continue.

He sighs. "But I like the way she makes me feel."

At his words, Baekhyun's legs give up, feeling like jelly and robbed of all her strength to stand. She sits down on the carpet. Looking back at his phone, she can read a lot of flirty messages from both pink and blue speech bubbles. "This is cheating, you bastard." She can't even look at him right now, can't take all the anguish her heart is trying to endure.

"It's notㅡwe're just friends, I promise you! It's just texting!"

"Fuck you! _It's just texting?_ " Baekhyun scoffs. "You say it like you're caught red-handed stealing a cookie. Don't reduce it into something trivial when we both know it's not."

Baekhyun wishes she can take back half of the _i love you, too_ 's she has told him. Baekhyun wishes she can take back half the trust she has invested on him.

"Baek, it's my mistake, I'm sorry."

"No, Jongin, it's my mistake. For trusting you again. You've done this before already, how am I still so stupid to let you in my life?"

Baekhyun takes a deep breath, willing her resolve not to waver. The memories of more than a year ago come into her mind, stabbing her fresh wounds today. It hurts more now on its second time.

"It's over." She says it. Her tears are the first ones to drop.

"Baek, please," Jongin begs. "Can't we go to the next part? This is just a challenge for us to overcome, right?"

"There's no more next part for us. Just leave."

☆

When she's alone with the echoes of her whimpers and the pieces of her heart, Baekhyun manages to dial a friend's number. It's been so long, but a friend in need is a friend indeed, right?

He picks up after the first ring. She calls out a soft "Chanyeol?" and that's all she needs to do.

Fifteen minutes later and there's a knock on her door. When she opens it to welcome him, it takes a beat of her heart before she's surrounded by a warm embrace.

Chanyeol's hugs are nice and he smells wonderful that Baekhyun almost forgets Jongin right then and there. Maybe Chanyeol has that power to make people forget? He's definitely better than alcohol, Baekhyun concludes. She doesn't deny the fact that she has always liked Chanyeol's hugs the best.

"Whatever he did, it's gonna be alright now, Baek." Chanyeol's words aren't making Baekhyun feel any better, truth to be told. It just makes her feel more shit has been dumped upon her. But his hug can make up for his crappy comfort words.

That can be enough.

☆

It's been a long time since Baekhyun saw Luhan but once the latter heard about the news, she's back with more hugs for her heartbroken best friend.

No words are exchangedㅡjust a look of understanding, a pat on the back. They're on Baekhyun's bed.

"Stop moping around. I'll help you move on," Luhan says.

Baekhyun scoffs. "Excuse you, I wasn't moping around."

☆

Days later, Chanyeol is back in Baekhyun's house. He's dressed in ripped jeans and an old hoodie, just like old times. Then she has this crazy idea, like the usual, and announces she wants to watch the stars while sitting on her roof, and will Chanyeol come with her. He says he will.

Even when Chanyeol strongly disagrees to her bringing alcohol, she still does. There's one pack of beer in the fridge and she's adamant on bringing it.

Under the stars, Baekhyun scoots closer to Chanyeol's warmth and drinks a can of beer. He's telling her about bright lights and the amazing facts about them, the constellations that Chanyeol can recognize, which is only the Orion's Belt and the Big Dipper, because as much as he claims to know so much about the night sky, he doesn't, really. That only makes Baekhyun laugh.

After her second can of beer, Baekhyun starts to feel the cool breeze tracing her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She rubs her arms and Chanyeol removes his hoodie to reveal a cotton shirt under it.

"Here, wear this. I know you're cold."

Chanyeol puts the hoodie over her head and she raises her arms to wear the sleeves. When it's past her head, all she can see is Chanyeol's neck so close to her face because Chanyeol is still fixing his hoodie on her.

Baekhyun gulps. _No, I shouldn't feel like this for Chanyeol._ That's the sad mantra she keeps telling herself.

Chanyeol's the only person she wants to stay constant in her life, not in a romantic way, of course (she's firm about that, or trying to be), but she just wants him to be by her side. Just like right now.

But then Chanyeol just has to smile at her when he's all done fixing his hoodie, that boyish smile that shows off his perfect teeth and his dimple, and it's ruining Baekhyun's resolutions, and really, she just can'tㅡ

She gives him a peck on the dimple beside his mouth.

Realizing what she has done, she quickly says, "Sorry, two cans already. And you were kinda there. And I'm kinda here. So. Yeah. Sorry."

"Oh, right." Chanyeol nervously laughs. "Do you wanna go back inside now?"

"No, let's stay a little bit longer here, Yeol."

"Okay."

And they stay there. Chanyeol finishes the rest of the four cans of beer because Baekhyun can't trust herself when she's drunk, she says, and Chanyeol agrees. He also ends up sleeping in her living room that night.

☆

It is Friday night when Luhan calls Baekhyun to go meet with their college friends. They're hanging out at the Atmosphere again. Chanyeol picks her up promptly at eleven in the evening with Luhan at the back seat. He was feeling like Luhan's chaffeur the whole ride to Baekhyun's house.

When they reach the bar, Yixing and Zitao are already there. There's a blond guy beside Yixing that Baekhyun doesn't recognize.

"Guys, this is Junmyeon." Yixing introduces them to her companion, who now has an arm draped over Yixing's shoulders. "He's like my sugarㅡor honey, or something."

Luhan mouths at Baekhyun, "sugar daddy." And then Zitao is making a rectangular gesture with her fingers mouthing the word, "black!"

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you. Finally, Chanyeol's not the only guy here."

Chanyeol only laughs as he sits beside Baekhyun.

"Jongin's not with you anymore?" Zitao asks and the three other friends glare at her. Luhan even calls her out for it.

"It's fine, Lu. I'm moving on, remember?" Although Baekhyun still can't deny the hurt she's still feeling. Chanyeol's hand rests on her waist. "He's a cheater. For the second time."

Zitao becomes silent.

Yixing breaks the awkward silence that has fallen upon them. "Cheetahs are the fastest land animals."

Nobody but Junmyeon laughs at her. He shakes his head, telling her how cute and random she is while pinching her cheek. Baekhyun wants to puke, and she hasn't even drank anything yet.

She's dragged to the mass of sweaty bodies by Luhan and they're dancing to some Top 10 song on Music Bank. She's not sure when it was that Luhan disappeared by her side, replaced by this really tall guy. Really, he's so tall that the top of Baekhyun's head only reaches his chin.

His hair is blond with the roots darker, probably his original hair color, Baekhyun notes. When he turns around and faces her direction, the first thing she notices is his thick eyebrows. The lights give off a mesmerizing effect with his sharp features that go well with that smoldering look in his eyes andㅡ _holy shit._

Is this the guy Baekhyun has been searching for an eternity already? She has completely forgotten about that search for her Cinderella because too much of _life_ happened to her. Has it been one year already? No, more than a year has passed, actually.

As if just spotting her, the guy's eyes widen tooㅡin recognition, perhaps?

Baekhyun is caught surprised when the guy leans down to whisper in her ears. Her body shudders at his voice. "Hey, can I tell you something wonderful?" Deep voice, like the one in her memories.

"What would that be?" She keeps her composure calm even if she's starting to feel creeped out by him already.

"I know this is crazy, but I really want to believe that- that you want me."

"That's pretty brave of you." And pretty arrogant of him too, to be honest. "But how can you be so sure?"

"I'm sure," he says, a smirk playing at the ends of his lips. "Isn't that enough?"

Baekhyun just laughs. "That's not enough for me."

"Then tell me something I don't know." His hand reaches for her arm, but Baekhyun feels... _odd_ under his touch.

"Do you know my name?"

"No, but I'd like to." He offers her a hand for a handshake. "I'm Yifan."

"I'm Baekhyun. It's nice to meet you." She shakes his hand. There's comfort in the way they don't go down at each other's throats right away and actually make introductions. "But how about we go to my table?"

Yifan is sitting across Baekhyun who is sitting beside Chanyeol who is looking at the dance floor. They are the only three on the table and who knows where everyone else went to. Well, Yixing can be seen grinding her body on Junmyeon, which is surprising because they looked like the vanilla type of couple and now they're going at it like rabbits in heat.

Then Baekhyun is whispering something at Chanyeol that makes the other guy across them look at them cautiously. "Hey, Yeol, this is really weird but he looks like Cinderella from more than a year ago."

"Yifan?" Baekhyun nods, pouting and eyebrows furrowed. And she's cute like this, Chanyeol decides. "I don't know, Baek, you were the one who was with that Cinderella guy."

"Well, I think he's not, too, because I feel so wrong with him. I don't even know why." Baekhyun huffs. Yifan's getting ignored from across them. "But I can remember that face from that night, I swear."

"Well, why don't you just talk to him?"

Baekhyun freezes a bit and faces Yifan slowly, as if finally realizing that the subject of their conversation is actually with them. "Yifan, have we met before?"

Yifan smiles in relief, more gums than anything else. The bad boy look suits him better. "Oh, I thought it was only me who had a feeling that we've seen each other before."

Baekhyun's eyes widen and one of her hands grips tightly on one of Chanyeol's huge ones under the table.

"Baekhyun, this is really crazy, but you know I still believe in the first thing I've said to you tonight. So would you go out with me?"

Baekhyun thinks she should have drank at least one bottle of something strong before she had this conversation.

It's not helping either that Chanyeol is looking at her too, waiting for her answer.

"I'm sorry, Yifan, but I'll be kinda busy after tonight. I'll have lots to work on. And other stuff."

If it is obvious that she's just making up excuses, Yifan doesn't question her about it.

"Alright, but can you just give me your number?"

And Baekhyun is too kind to say no.

☆

"Why don't you tell him you have a boyfriend already? Won't he stop texting you by then?" Luhan says when Baekhyun has finished telling her about the Yifan guy she met last week, and how she remembers the Cinderella she was looking for to be someone that may or may not look like him.

"You're right!" Baekhyun's expression brightens up but falls again when she realizes something. "But what if he asks who he is, Lu?"

Luhan lets out a small laugh. "Then you'll just make up of someone."

"Ah, but that could go wrong in so many ways! Have you seen the movies?"

"Could go wrong in so many ways, yesㅡlike you actually falling for that guy you hired or something. But isn't that the fun part?" Luhan smirks. That bitch.

"No, it's not the fun part," Baekhyun whines. "I don't like that part."

"What you need is only one thing, Baekㅡa fake date. Isn't that easy to fulfill?"

"It's not."

"Shush, thank me later. Because I happen to know the right person to 'fake the date.'" Baekhyun recalls every single idea of Luhan turning out not good for her.

"I don't think I like where this is going."

"Let's call Park Chanyeol."

Baekhyun's heart may have leapt inside her chest when she heard it. She remembers her kiss on his cheek on that night under the stars. It was a violation to her Golden Rule, but she hardly cared when she did it.

"Oh, right," she says as nonchalantly as she can, at the same time trying to look up for something to say. "I'll just ask Chanyeol to be my _fake_ boyfriend. That would be easy, right?"

Luhan tries to hold back the laughter at how Baekhyun emphasized the word 'fake'.

Baekhyun's not worried at Luhan's face that looks like she's deprived of oxygen. Because it's usual for Luhan to have these weird reactions, really. However, she's worried about the thought of having Chanyeol to pretend as her boyfriend.

It surely will challenge her Golden Rule.

☆

It's not the day they were supposed to have the fake date on. Baekhyun just happens to wake up to an empty fridge and Luhan says she won't go with her to the groceries because of some reason that only Luhan can make up. Of course, there is also that issue some time ago about Luhan not going shopping with Baekhyun ever because her legs would ache in a way that she doesn't want. And Baekhyun remembers that Chanyeol has said he can accompany her any time when Luhan can't. Therefore, the call Baekhyun made is justified.

And now she's with Chanyeol picking up a carton of milk and her favorite juice and there is that moment when they grab the same item and look into each other's eyes but that moment fades away as quickly as it happened. It's when Chanyeol pushes their cart to the fruits section that Baekhyun decides to tell him about the, uh, _plan_.

"Yeol, would you go out on fake date with me?"

Chanyeol, predictably, stops on his tracks and gapes at Baekhyun. "Did you just say _date with you_? Finally!"

"No, I said, _fake date_ with me."

"Perhaps, are you finally coming to realize that you can't let a rare gem like me slip from your fingers? And that you're using the excuse of a fake date to know how it would feel to date me?" Chanyeol is wearing a smug grin Baekhyun wants to wipe away. He's also wiggling his eyebrows that's really annoying Baekhyun.

"I'm only doing this so Yifan would stop bothering me." However, as she says this, a faint blush can be seen on her cheeks. Chanyeol doesn't comment on it, thankfully.

"Are you, really, Baekhyun? Is that _really_ the reason you're asking me to be your fake date?" Chanyeol raises a brow and there goes a tiny piece of her sanity flying away with the way he is grinning at her at this moment.

"Don't blow your head up, Yeol."

"Okay, but let's get back to the matter at hand. Of course, I'd go on a fake date with you. I'd go on any date, actually, if it's with you. You can use me as you will. Pull my strings just for a thrill."

A bubble of laughter erupts from Baekhyun. "And I know you'd be okay."

It still amazes her how Chanyeol makes everything seem so easy.

 

Another few minutes into the grocery shopping, Baekhyun sees someone she's hoping not see until later in her life. But there he is, the subject of her torment, walking along the center aisle and looking back and forth between his grocery list and the shelves. Yifan.

Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol so suddenly they almost lose balance, but they don't.

"Commence operation fake date, now." Baekhyun whispers at Chanyeol.

"So suddenly?"

"Yes, because subject is currently in proximity!"

"You talking like a secret agent makes me more nervous than the thought of being your fake boyfriend."

Baekhyun sneakily takes a peek from behind one of the shelves and sees Yifan heading towards their direction. "Quick, Yeol, hold my hand! And smile like you're having the time of your life!"

Chanyeol quickly intertwines his fingers with Baekhyun's and grins with his pearly white teeth showing. She can't help but notice how huge his hand is compared to hers, and that it fits just right, feels just rightㅡ

"Baekhyun?" Yifan is already standing in front of them.

"Yifan, what a pleasant surprise to see you here!" Baekhyun says, remembering some scenes like this she has seen on television.

"And Chanyeol, right?"

"Yeah," Chanyeol answers with a smile. "Baekhyun's boyfriend."

Yifan's thick eyebrows furrows almost immediately, clearly surprised. He sees their linked hands and his face falls even more. "I thought you weren't seeing anyone, Baek?"

Chanyeol answers for her. "That was true until last week, when she finally said yes to me. The answer I've been waiting for since we were still in college."

Baekhyun is shocked at how Chanyeol can lie to a stranger (Yifan is still a stranger to them) so smoothly like this, so at ease. It's as if he has the situation planned out already.

"Oh," Yifan certainly looks disappointed. "Baek didn't tell me the news. Well, would you two like to join me for lunch? I'm going to the counter now anyways."

"That would be great," Chanyeol replies, an answer that Baekhyun does not completely agree with.

 

"Why did you say that?" They're in the restaurant already and Yifan left for the restroom.

"So that our relationship will have more exposure to him, to make _us_ look convincing, okay?" Chanyeol clears his throat and adds, "I mean, our _fake_ relationship and the _fake_ us."

"Oh, yeah, right... It's surprising how quickly you thought about that and got into the role." Baekhyun laughs nervously.

"Maybe we should act like a couple now so when he comes back, he'll catch us being lovey-dovey and all that."

"Right. Place your arm over my shoulder."

"Baek, you're sitting on the wrong side." Baekhyun's confused at how Chanyeol's left side is the wrong side. When he sees her confused expression, he quickly explains, "My right arm says _let's cuddle and do disgusting couple stuff_ while my left arm says _come at me, bruh!_ So you have to sit on my right side, Baek."

"Shut up, Yeol, or I'll fake break-up with you at this moment."

Chanyeol immediately drapes his arm over her shoulder, no matter if it's the left one supposed to be for his dudes. When he senses Baekhyun already settling, he says, "Hey, what about you cuddle closer to my chest or something?"

"Right, right." Baekhyun does so, and her smooth hair tickles Chanyeol's cheeks. It's a nice kind of tickle for Chanyeol.

A moment later into that cutesy couple position, Baekhyun sighs in his arms.

"This feels nice," she says, and then hastily adds, "Theoretically, that is."

"Yeah, I knew we'd make a great couple. Why don't we take this to the _real_ level, hm, Baek?"

"We'd make a great couple, hypothetically, Chanyeol. This is just a fake date."

"Keep telling that to yourself, Baek."

Baekhyun has never been thankful for Yifan's appearance at that moment. She definitely knows the blush on her cheeks only makes their whole act convincing, and onlg hopes Chanyeol wouldn't see that blush.

"Now I regret asking you guys to join me for my lunch. I awfully feel like a third wheel." Yifan sighs as he takes his seat across them.

"Well, aren't you?" That is Chanyeol for Yifan.

"Shut up, Yeol, you're being rude."

Then Chanyeol faces Baekhyun and bumps their noses as he apologizes. And, really, it's not helping Yifan's situation at all.

Yifan clears his throat so for those two to notice him. Chanyeol smiles at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, too, Yifan."

"Oh, Chanyeol, you're dating Baekhyun now?" Zitao suddenly appears by their table. "I was buying takeouts and I saw you two being so lovey-dovey and, what the hell? You guys didn't tell me that you were going out already. So I came over to confirm."

Baekhyun's instinct is to say, "No, Chanyeol's a friend, I can't date him." It's already on the tip of her tongue. But she sees Yifan piercing that smoldering stare on her, as if looking into her soul, and all she can come up with is a, "Yes, we were going to tell you guys the next time we will be at Atmo, but looks like you'll gonna be ahead of Yixing."

"Surprise!" Chanyeol waves their intertwined fingers in front of Zitao's face.

Zitao pushes Yifan further into the booth with her hips so she can sit beside him. Yifan does not look a bit disturbed by any of the events.

"Oh, so you really are going out. For a second there, I thought you were on a fake date or something." Zitao laughs at her own thoughts.

"Wait," Yifan stares at Chanyeol and Baekhyun who are almost ready to get out of there. "Zitao's right, you could be doing a fake date. Baekhyun, are you doing this to get rid of me?"

"Look here, you two, if Chanyeol and I are on a _fake_ date, would I do this to a friend?" Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol by the nape and smacks their lips together. Of course, she doesn't think much about it because Chanyeol's a friend, and kissing is how French people greet each other, right? Or Brazilians? They might be Korean and none of those races, but that's not the point here.

It's totally unexpected that Baekhyun feels like she's in a Katy Perry music video because of all the fireworks she's feeling in her heart and on her cheek where Chanyeol's thumb are tracing circles. Baekhyun definitely felt this before, the whole-body tingle she got just because of a kissㅡthat tingling feeling that sprouts from the pit of her stomach, spreading to her limbs, and sending an indescribable thrill to the tips of her toes.

Baekhyun pulls away, having a hard time breathing, and looks into Chanyeol's eyes looking back at her.

Yifan and Zitao both have different things to say but the two of them are just in their own little bubble, because finally, _finally_ , Baekhyun has found who she has been looking for. She gave up on it the moment Jongin came back, but who is she kidding? The thought of that perfect cock never left her mind.

And she realizes it inside this restaurant, while having a fake date, that the person she has been searching for after all these long months is actually right under her nose.

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun oddly feels like sobbing, and she may have choked back a sob when she called Chanyeol's name. "I finally found you."

_Baekhyun's missing puzzle piece._

☆

So Baekhyun has finally found her Cinderella, no matter how weird that still sounds.

"Yeol, why didn't you tell me? Oh godㅡ"

"You kept on insisting about your Golden Rule andㅡ"

"Fuck youㅡahㅡif that was all you were thinking aboutㅡ"

"Yes, we did fuck, Baekㅡ"

"ㅡand that was the best night. And I want you to fuck me like that again, so get inside me now."

Their clothes have been long discarded, forgotten, and Chanyeol's fingers have been stretching Baekhyun open for the longest foreplay she has ever experienced in her life. He quickly grabs a condom by Baekhyun's bedside table but she takes it from him, throws it away from the bed.

"Don't use that."

"But, Baek, safe sexㅡ"

"Yeol." And how can Chanyeol say no when Baekhyun sounds so desperate to feel him whole inside her, skin against skin?

He rubs the head of his cock on her nub and as much as Baekhyun whines for him to stop it and just get it in, goddamn it, he can't help it because he knows his dick is better than his hands and extending the anticipation would only make Baekhyun more excited, he knows. When he finally pushes his member into her, they both become a panting mess of sweat and pleasure.

The back of her knees finds a home on Chanyeol's shoulders as he continues to enter her, and then withdraw almost to Baekhyun's emptiness, but he never does that, thankfully. He withdraws until only the head of his _perfect cock_ (as Baekhyun has always called it) is inside, before thrusting again. Baekhyun's a moaning mess under him. He can't help it but drop a kiss on her lips, and when she kisses back, it becomes a torrid make out with mostly tongues, swallowing each other's moans. His kiss trails down to her jaw and lower to her neck. He bites marks on the milky expanse of her chest, coloring it reddish and licking it to soothe the pain away, making her whimper under him and her thighs close almost squeeze his head. Finally they're doing this when no one is drunk.

"Do it rightㅡdo it fasterㅡ" Baekhyun doesn't get to finish that sentence, of course, because Chanyeol's leaning down to kiss her again, almost folding her into half with her legs still lodged on his shoulders, and he starts thrusting in a pace that makes her see the solar system.

Looking down at her, Chanyeol knew he's a goner, especially when he starts hearing symphonies inside his mind at the sight of Baekhyun naked. When he tweaks her nipples, she moans the loudest for tonight, and clenches so tight around him that the pleasurable friction they feel is almost impossible to believe. Chanyeol's thrusts become irregular movements of his hips and he withdraws before coming all over Baekhyun's stomach.

Chanyeol lies down beside her, Baekhyun snuggling closer to him.

"Baek."

"Hm?"

"I'm kinda guilty of making you break your Golden Rule."

Baekhyun laughs lightly against his chest. "Don't worry about that, Yeol. There's always an exception to the rule."

Chanyeol's answering grin makes Baekhyun's heart swell. "I'd be glad to be that exception."

Baekhyun only kisses him as an answer. She doesn't wonder anymore how Chanyeol's kiss can be so sweet despite all the tongues.

How it feels so right even after all this time.

☆

Luhan decides to visit Baekhyun to discuss more of their plans about this fake date with Chanyeol. Her best friend has been so dense to recognize that the person she claims to have that perfect cock is actually Chanyeol. Maybe she'll realize it after this fake date.

Luhan metaphorically pats herself on the back for being such a great friend to both of them, not spilling Chanyeol's secret and helping Baekhyun find her Cinderella.

When she opens Baekhyun's room, she totally didn't expect to see half of Baekhyun's naked body on top of Chanyeol's naked body.

"Oh god! Finally! Finally you two are sober this time. Right?"

That woke Baekhyun up and she throws a pillow at Luhan. The latter screams because _who knows what this poor pillow has witnessed and touched!_

☆☆☆

**Author's Note:**

> there's a lot of music lyrics and dialogues from tv shows in this fic because apparently i'm not creative enough for original lines ;___;
> 
>  
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> thank you for reading~


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